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Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 21, 2013 in Cinema 
It’s made the festival circuit, but chances are you haven’t seen Aningaaq, a seven-minute companion short to Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity. That film is one of the best science fiction (in the literal sense: fiction about science) films in a long time and a sure-bet for a Best Picture nomination at the next Oscars. Without spoiling too much for those who haven’t seen the film, Aningaaq is about a titular Inuit man in Greenland who is contacted by Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) at a critical point in her story. It’s a great scene in the movie, but what’s interesting is how this short so perfectly matches the themes of isolation and survival found in the movie, but in different circumstances. Even grounded on Earth, the scene is touching in its poignance, regardless of whether or not you have seen the movie. Read more…
Tags: Alfonso Cuarón, Gravity, Science Fiction, Warner Brothers
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 20, 2013 in Cinema 
What do you do when your franchise needs new ideas? Send it into space! They did it with Jason X, they did it with Super Mario Galaxy, and director Robert Rodriguez is teasing it with this fake trailer that aired before Machete Kills in October. If you didn’t go see it in theaters, you can see it here. Machete Kills Again…In Space is partially riffing on Star Wars, but I’ll let you see that for yourself. Now the only question is whether or not someone will put forth the money to make this sequel…or if it will be reasonably tied to any prior continuity, what with it, you know, being in space and all. Read more…
Tags: Sci-Fi, Space
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 19, 2013 in Cinema 
While most adults might gravitate more towards The Muppets instead of Sesame Street, the kid’s show still has a lot to offer adults looking for cute skits and parodies, especially those with Cookie Monster. While I could care less about Elmo, Grover, and the others, Cookie Monster has never really got old, even surviving the program’s need to point out that cookies are a “sometimes food.” (Check out this skit with game developer Tim Schafer as proof!) His latest skit has him playing the role of Cookieness Evereat in a parody of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. While the brutal nature of the games has been completely toned down to “The Hungry Games,” there’s a lot to like here. I think it’s particularly damning that Peeta can be replaced with a pita named Pita and nothing is lost from his character. Read more…
Tags: Muppets, parody, The Hunger Games
Posted by Ben Huber on Nov 15, 2013 in Cinema 
Disney’s twisted retelling (or remake… or alternate story?) of Sleeping Beauty isn’t arriving until May of next year, but it’s not too soon for a teaser trailer! Angelina Jolie seems like the perfect fit for playing the part of Maleficent, but other than that, I’m not too sure how this movie will turn out. The teaser trailer is all atmosphere and hinting, as is to be expected. Maybe I’m just a cold-hearted cynic, but until we see something more clever or interesting out of this, I think I’ll pass. Still, that Maleficent outfit looks like it leapt right out of the animation cels. Read more…
Tags: Disney, maleficent
Posted by Ben Huber on Nov 15, 2013 in Cinema 
Russel Crowe is looking grim. It seems like the whole world is against him — and well, I guess it really is. Noah is Darren Aronofsky’s new biblical epic in which Crowe plays the titular character, fighting against time and the world to build an ark. You probably know the story pretty well: Noah builds an ark, fills it with animals, and the world gets destroyed so humanity can begin anew. When you think about it, it’s really quite morbid and not the children’s tale it’s usually portrayed as. The trailer plays it pretty straight, but I’m disappointed we’re not seeing any of the weirder stuff that we heard about earlier, like six-armed angels of death and fantasy creatures. That better make it to the final cut! Check out both the domestic and international trailers below, they’re very different in content. Read more…
Tags: Darren Aronofsky, Noah
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 14, 2013 in Animation, Cinema 
Do you remember when Michael Jordan teamed up with Bugs Bunny to play basketball against aliens? I prefer to think of Space Jam as a historical drama, because why not. Someone else out there apparently thinks so too, because they made this great video, 30 for 30: The Space Jam Game, mimicking the popular ESPN documentary series 30 for 30. They even got some major guests to give commentary! Check it out below, and if you want more, try this page of Space Jam mash-ups (“slams”), or even the original website, somehow still online! Read more…
Tags: Looney Tunes, Warner Brothers
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 13, 2013 in Cinema, Star Wars 
Who would have thought that response to an open casting call for Star Wars Episode VII would have garnered a ridiculous response? That’s what happened in UK and Ireland, where thousands showed up in places like Bristol for a shot at two roles. Now you can submit your reel online with Cast It Talent for a chance to be in Disney’s continuation of the Star Wars franchise. You have until December 3 to get your entry in, so make it good and keep in mind that you’re potentially competing against the entire world! You can check out the descriptions of the two roles, Rachel and Thomas, below, though there’s a strong possibility that these are placeholder names. Read more…
Tags: Disney, Star Wars
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 12, 2013 in Anime, Cinema 
North American fans of Neon Genesis Evangelion have been waiting since November 17, 2012 for the latest Rebuild of Evangelion movie. The remake/reboot/sequel/whatever movie series is already three films into the planned four-film story, but the third film, Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo, has yet to receive a North American release. But this January 2014, ELEVEN ARTS and FUNimation will be screening the film. It will mostly be shown in an English dubbed format, but some showings will feature the original Japanese dub with English subtitles. Read more…
Tags: Evangelion, FUNImation
Posted by Ben Huber on Nov 11, 2013 in Cinema, Videogames 
There was a lot of news to come out of Blizzcon, but one I found most interesting was director Duncan Jones talking about the Warcraft movie. The director of Moon and Source Code will be tackling the film, and he spoke about how the movie will focus on the origin story of orcs and humans, and the first meeting between Lothar and Durotan. It sounds like Blizzard is heavily involved in the making of the movie as well as offering input on the story and script. They did show off some concept art (below the jump) and mentioned that ILM would be creating the CG orcs. It’s currently scheduled to open December 18th 2015, which with Disney’s announcement a few days ago, now means it opens the same day as Star Wars Episode VII. Good luck! Read more…
Tags: Warcraft, World of Warcraft
Posted by Ben Huber on Nov 10, 2013 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Yup. Some new promotional images were sent out to hype up The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and while most of them were pretty standard, one really stood out to me: Spider-Man wearing a firefighter’s helmet. It appears he’s putting out a fire, yes, but why would he take the time to put the helmet on? Maybe we’re getting a bit more of that goofy, snarky Spider-Man I love? That’d be nice! Otherwise, there are also images of Electro (aka electric blue Jamie Foxx) and Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone). We’ll also see Harry Osborn this time around ( Dane DeHaan), so I wonder if they’ll be introducing the Green Goblin soon? Read more…
Tags: The Amazing Spider-Man
Posted by Ben Huber on Nov 10, 2013 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Looks like it’s time to start up the rumor mill for Superman vs. Batman! After Zack Snyder announced that Man of Steel 2 would be a crossover feature with Batman (who was then announced to be played by Ben Affleck), fan’s minds ran wild. Would anyone else show up? Could this film set up the Justice League? There were tons of possibilities. Well, the rumors are starting to leak in and the first two are that Wonder Woman and Nightwing will also feature in the movie. Adam Driver is rumored to be up for the part of Nightwing, while the studio is choosing between Gal Gadot, Elodie Yung, and Olga Kurylenko for Wonder Woman. It could definitely broaden the scope of the movie a lot, and Warner Bros. has been looking for a way to utilize Wonder Woman correctly, so this may be the way! Read more…
Tags: Batman, Man of Steel, Superman
Posted by Ben Huber on Nov 8, 2013 in Cinema 
Yes, the RoboCop remake is closing in on us. Will it ruin our childhood? Will it drive our hopes for a good remake into the ground? Or will it just provide us with one of the silliest snippets all year: Samuel L. Jackson yelling at a camera, asking why America is “robo-phobic.” Maybe this will be some awful fun? This trailer is definitely better than the first one, and I still like the designs of some of the robots shown in the beginning. I’d think I’d just rather see an original film not tethered down by what it’s remaking. But try convincing Hollywood of that! The trailer is embedded below. Read more…
Tags: Robocop
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 6, 2013 in Cinema 
Way to get our hopes up, Bruce. Two weeks ago, Bruce Campbell confirmed that Army of Darkness 2 would be made by Sam Raimi. Now, he’s backtracking on those “random comments,” saying that the film isn’t happening until the production company says something, like a movie release date or a start date for production. He also predicts bad news for fans of Fede Alvarez’s remake of Evil Dead, saying that Alvarez has moved on and not to expect a sequel. It’s a bit grim for fans who wanted more, but this is all to be expected when dealing with rumors and information given through unofficial channels. Read more…
Tags: bruce campbell, Evil Dead, zombies
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 6, 2013 in Cinema 
Have you been watching the production videos of The Hobbit film trilogy? Nothing will ever match the sheer quantity and quality of the bonus content for The Lord of the Rings, but these have been pretty interesting for fans of Middle-earth. The latest production video covers the ten-week summer pick-up shoot, when more footage was shot for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (coming soon on December 13) and The Hobbit: There and Back Again (due out December 2014). Take a look and see the outtakes of a frustrated Ian McKellen trying to say his lines. Gandalf swore! Read more…
Tags: Peter Jackson, The Hobbit
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 5, 2013 in Cinema, Star Wars 
Did you see the recently released Star Wars blooper reel? I’m not just talking general Star Wars, I’m talking the original film. Well, Slackatory took those bloopers and mixed them into the original trailer to create a “Derp Edition.” With shots of Han Solo munching on his mic and Stormtroopers sliding around, I’d say this gives the Special Edition a run for its money. Actually, if Lucas was still in charge of the franchise, I wouldn’t be surprised if he made a new cut with all the outtakes and called it his even truer vision. It’s no less strange than the fact that he had his team purposely animate Jar Jar stepping in poop. Read more…
Tags: Star Wars
Posted by Ben Huber on Nov 4, 2013 in Cinema, Television 
With Thor: The Dark World coming out later this month, Marvel wants to fire on all cylinders to keep the universe linked. So what else would you do other than cross over the one and only Marvel TV show with the big Marvel release of the holidays? Yup, Agents of SHIELD will get a Thor crossover episode. It won’t directly involve characters from the film, but rather the agents trying to “pick up the pieces” in the aftermath, threatening to destroy a member of the team. Maybe SHIELD gets to be the cleanup crew and someone snaps? He’s sick of cleaning up after these superheroes! Why can’t they clean up their own messes, right?! Read more…
Tags: Agents of SHIELD, Marvel, Thor: The Dark World
Posted by Ben Huber on Nov 2, 2013 in Cinema 
Alright guys, I know it looks cheesy and really hammy, but I think The LEGO Movie looks really fun. I love that the majority of it is actually made out of LEGO parts — that’s real dedication. Sure, there’s some CGI and clever manipulation of bricks that couldn’t happen in real life, but still — impressive stuff! The cast also is pretty well-rounded, with some great comedy actors who can also, well, act! The directors are duo Phil Lord and Chris Miller, who are most famous for Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. I hope it turns out well! Read more…
Tags: Lego, The LEGO Movie
Posted by Bob Muir on Oct 31, 2013 in Cinema, Comic Books 
With short previews for upcoming films attached to current films becoming more and more popular, Marvel has decided that stingers at the end of films just aren’t enough. If you decide to drop the extra cash to see Thor: The Dark World in 3D (out November 8), you’ll be able to enjoy five minutes of footage from Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which won’t be out until April 4, 2014. It’s just a shame the footage won’t be attached to 2D showings, since I make a point of avoiding “3D” movies that were shot in 2D and converted in post (as opposed to the 3D cameras used in movies like Avatar). But if that doesn’t bother you and you want more Cap after that recent trailer, you’ve got the option. Read more…
Tags: 3D, captain america, Disney, Marvel, Thor: The Dark World
Posted by Bob Muir on Oct 30, 2013 in Cinema, Comic Books 
We’ve finally got a trailer for X-Men: Days of Future Past, the sequel to X-Men: First Class that promises to unite the cast of the original trilogy with their younger selves (and probably create a new unified timeline without those pesky contradictions). Bryan Singer, the director of the first two films as well as a producer/story contributor of X2 and First Class, is again directing and producing the film, which should give some hope to those burned by X-Men: The Last Stand. The plot involves Wolverine being sent back to his younger self (still played by Hugh Jackman, on account of the whole “not aging” thing) to help ensure the survival of both time periods. It’s looking like a fun flick that hopefully won’t go up its own ass with time travel nitty-gritty. Read more…
Tags: 20th Century Fox, Marvel, X-Men
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 27, 2013 in Cinema 
Did you know Mr. Peabody is getting his own movie? Yup, Dreamworks has been working on the film for a while now, which is being directed by Lion King co-director Rob Minkoff. The movie is, of course, based on the Peabody’s Improbable History segments from Rocky & Bullwinkle. This time, though, it is its own entity and features original storylines and new characters. They’ve also (obviously) had to get different voice actors, which don’t seem to quite fit. That said, I’m still interested in this film, and if it actually does history right, then I’ll have no problem with some other changes. Watch the trailer here! Read more…
Tags: Cartoons, Dreamworks
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 25, 2013 in Cinema 
Are you excited for the next Captain America film? I wasn’t too interested until this trailer showed up — and now my interest is piqued. We’re back in the modern day now, and Cap is working with SHIELD, so we’re getting a hefty dose of Nick Fury and Black Widow too. It feels like they’re doing a bit more with the setup, especially with Cap expressing his doubts about how SHIELD is functioning and their role in protecting people. If that’s actually an important theme of the film and not just lip-service, I’ll be very pleased. Take a look at the full trailer after the jump! Read more…
Tags: captain america, Marvel
Posted by Bob Muir on Oct 22, 2013 in Cinema 
Evil Dead reboot director Fede Alvarez has said that Sam Raimi is trying to make a sequel to Army of Darkness, the third film in the original trilogy starring Bruce Campbell. While that is tantalizing, it’s far from official. However, at Wizard World Nashville Comic Con, Campbell came out with his own confirmation. Though he joked at first about nothing happening for over 22 years and how Ash might have to fight deadites with a walker and cane, he finally responded “Alright sir, the answer is yes” to the question of whether Army of Darkness 2 would happen. Read more…
Tags: bruce campbell, Evil Dead, zombies
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 20, 2013 in Cinema 
On his trip back into the movie spotlight, Arnold Schwarzenegger has done a lot of fun and goofy self-aware things. His most recent endeavor is a thread on Reddit where he takes suggestions for lines to record and share on YouTube. Granted, he’s promoting his new movie (Escape Plan), but some of these lines are pretty great. I hope he does some of the more bizarre ones too — they could make great answering messages. My favorite that he’s done so far is “Put that cookie down! Now!” I’ve included a few more below the jump. Keep an eye on his YouTube channel if you wanna see more! Read more…
Tags: arnold schwarzenegger
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 19, 2013 in Cinema 
I’ve always been fascinated by Wes Anderson’s films. They don’t always appeal to me specifically, but I can’t help but appreciate all the work and craftsmanship that go into them. His latest, The Grand Budapest Hotel, looks to be just as impressive as past works. And with such a cast, as well! It’s overloaded with big names, such as Ralph Fiennes, F. Murray Abraham, Edward Norton, Jeff Goldblum, Owen Wilson, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, Jason Schwartzman, Tilda Swinton, Adiren Brody, Tom Wilkinson, and Harvey Keitel. Wow! And the newly introduced Tony Revolori also looks to be great. Watch the trailer below. Read more…
Tags: Wes Anderson
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